Anthony Head
Anthony Stewart Head (born 20 February 1954) played the Eleventh Doctor from Season 41 in 2004 to Season 43 in 2006, before starring in the 2007 feature film, Doctor Who: Revelation. He reprised the role in the Season 46 story, Inquisition. Head is widely known for his role as Rupert Giles in the American television drama series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as Frank N Furter in the London revival of The Rocky Horror Show, as King Uther in the BBC Wales series Merlin and for a series of early-1990s coffee commercials in the United Kingdom and the U.S. In UK productions, he is commonly credited simply as Anthony Head, or occasionally Tony Head. Prior to Doctor Who Head was born in Camden Town, London. He grew up in Hampton, near Richmond upon Thames in London. His father was Seafield Head, the founder of Verity Films and his mother was the actress Helen Shingler. His older brother is actor and singer Murray Headwho originated the role of Judas on the original album of Jesus Christ Superstar. Both brothers played the part of Freddy Trumper in the musical Chess at the Prince Edward Theatre, London, with Murray a part of the original cast in 1986, whilst Anthony was in the final cast in 1989. Head was educated at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). His first role was in the musical Godspell; this led to roles in television on both BBC and ITV, one of his earliest being an appearance in the series Enemy at the Door (ITV, 1978–1980). In the late 1980s, he appeared in a series of twelve coffee commercials with Sharon Maughan for Nescafé Gold Blend (re-edited to include brand name Taster's Choice in the US and Canada), which brought him wider recognition; the commercials were notable for featuring an ongoing romantic storyline between Head and Maughan's characters. He also appeared in the Children's ITV comedy drama Woof!. Success on the stage and a number of brief appearances on American television, such as in the short-lived VR-5 and a guest role in the Highlander television series, led to accepting the role of Rupert Giles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer in 1997. For this role he lived full-time in the United States during the late 1990s and early 2000s, although his family continued to live in the UK. Head left the regular cast of Buffy during the show's sixth season and subsequently appeared several times as a guest star. In many interviews at the time, Head said he left the show to spend more time with his family having realised that he had spent most of the year outside of England for more than half his youngest daughter's life. He now lives in Bath with his long term partner, Sarah Fisher (a former theatre administrator) whom he met when he was twenty-eight. They are the parents of actresses Emily Head and Daisy Head. Work on Doctor Who In 1999, Anthony Head was considered for the role of the Tenth Doctor, however he was to busy working on Buffy The Vampire Slayer at the time, and the role instead went to Richard E Grant. After concluding work on Buffy in 2003, Head was once again offered the part, this time for the Eleventh Doctor which he accepted, making his debute at the end of the first movie. Head went on to play the Doctor for three Seasons before bowing out in Doctor Who: Revelation, he later returned to the role in 2009 for the Season 46 story, The Inquiery. In 2013, he once again reprised the role in the last episode of Series 2 of Cold Front, Ascention, he then appeared as the Eleventh Doctor in the Panopticon Series 7 episode, Put Your Dreams Away. Head then appeared as I.M Foreman in Doctor Who: Genesis After Doctor Who In 2007, he portrayed Stockard Channing's gay brother in the English film Sparkle and appeared as Mr Colubrine in the ITV1 comedy drama Sold. Head also appeared as Sir Walter Elliot in Persuasion.6 Head also narrated a BBC behind-the-scenes programme for the American television series Heroes, Heroes Unmasked. He has also been seen as Maurice Riley in the BBC Drama The Invisibles alongside Warren Clarke. After seeing Anthony Head in the Buffy musical episode, "Once More With Feeling", Saw''director Darren Lynn Bousman cast him in his 21st century rock opera, ''Repo! The Genetic Opera. Head portrays an organ repossessor, employed by a fictional dystopian medical firm; "Anthony Head was my number one choice for Repo Man from the very beginning", said Bousman in an interview shortly before the film's release on 7 November 2008. The film also stars Sarah Brightman and Paris Hilton. Head has also performed for radio, taking two of the lead roles—arch-villain Mr Gently Benevolent, and his descendant, journalist Jeremy Sourquill—in the BBC Radio 4 comedy series, Bleak Expectations (five series, 2007–12). He also had a significant recurring role in the last two series (2011–13) of the Radio 4 sitcom Cabin Pressure as Hercules Shipwright, a romantic interest for the airline CEO played by Stephanie Cole, and returned for show's two-part finale in 2014. Head was part of the regular cast of the BBC drama series Merlin, about the mythical wizard Merlin.Head played King Uther Pendragon, the father of Prince Arthur. Head also provides voice-over work in the Nintendo Wii video game, Flip's Twisted World, developed by Frozen North Productions.9 For his acting in the film Despite the Falling Snow he won the Best Supporting Actor award at the 2016 Prague Independent Film Festival.10 In July 2018 Head was added to the cast of long-running BBC radio soap-oper Personal Life Head lives with his partner Sarah Fisher and has two daughters, Emily, born in December 1988, and Daisy, born in 1991, both of whom are actresses. Selected Credits Doctor Who As the Doctor *''Lord President of Gallifrey'' *''The Order of Rassilon'' *''War of the Poplne'' *''Forgotten in Time'' *''The Siege'' *''Trust is a Lie'' *''The Enemy Uncovered'' *''The Battle of the Strong'' * ''The Resistance'' * ''Peace in Our Time'' * ''The Oncoming Storm'' * ''In the Mouths of Men'' * ''Evolution of the Matrix'' * ''Return to Earth'' * ''Everlasting War'' * ''Auribus Teneo Lupum'' * ''The Winner's Protector'' * ''May Fortune Favour the Bold'' * ''Behind the Looking Glass'' * ''The Sharper the Knife'' * ''Demons of the Past'' * ''The Noble Sacrifice'' * ''May the Truth Be Damned'' * ''The Confrontation of the Wicked'' * ''Inquisition'' Panopticon As the Doctor * ''Put Your Dreams Away'' Movies As the Doctor *[[Doctor Who (2003)|''Doctor Who (2003)]] (uncredited)'' *''Doctor Who: Revelation'' As I.M. Foreman * ''Doctor Who: Genesis'' Category:Actors Category:Actors that have played The Doctor